1998 MITSUBISHI MONTERO steering wheel

Loose or worn wheel See WHEEL ALIGNMENT
bearings
Loose or worn tie rod ends See SUSPENSION
Worn upper ball joints See Ball Joint Checking
in SUSPENSION
Worn shock absorbers Replace shock absorbers
Worn strut bushings Replace strut bushings









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Car Pulls to Mismatched or uneven tires Check tire condition
One Side
Broken or sagging springs See SUSPENSION
Loose or worn strut See SUSPENSION
bushings
Improper wheel alignment See WHEEL ALIGNMENT
Improper rear axle Check rear axle
alignment alignment
Power steering gear See STEERING
unbalanced
Front brakes dragging See BRAKES









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Abnormal Tire Unbalanced tires Check tire balance &
Wear rotation
Sagging or broken springs See SUSPENSION
Incorrect front end See WHEEL ALIGNMENT
alignment
Faulty shock absorbers Replace chock absorbers









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Scuffed Tires Toe-In incorrect See WHEEL ALIGNMENT
Suspension arm bent or See appropriate
twisted SUSPENSION article









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Springs Bottom Bent or broken springs See SUSPENSION
or Sag
Leaking or worn shock Replace shock absorbers
absorbers
Frame misalignment Check frame for damage









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Spring Noises Loose "U" Bolts See SUSPENSION
Loose or worn bushings See SUSPENSION
Worn or missing interliners See SUSPENSION









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Shock Absorber Loose shock mountings Check & tighten
Noise mountings
Worn bushings Replace bushings

Air in system Bleed air from system
Undercoating on shocks Remove undercoating









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Car Leans or Loose stabilizer bar See SUSPENSION
Sways on Corners
Faulty shocks or mountings Replace shocks or
mountings
Broken or sagging springs See SUSPENSION









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Shock Absorbers Worn seals or reservoir See SUSPENSION
Leaking tube crimped









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Broken Springs Loose "U" bolts See SUSPENSION
Inoperative shock absorbers Replace shock absorbers









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WHEEL ALIGNMENT TROUBLE SHOOTING
NOTE: This is GENERAL information. This article is not intended
to be specific to any unique situation or individual vehicle
configuration. The purpose of this Trouble Shooting
information is to provide a list of common causes to
problem symptoms. For model-specific Trouble Shooting,
refer to SUBJECT, DIAGNOSTIC, or TESTING articles available
in the section(s) you are accessing.
BASIC WHEEL ALIGNMENT TROUBLE SHOOTING CHART









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CONDITION POSSIBLE CAUSE CORRECTION








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Premature Tire Improper tire inflation Check tire pressure
Wear
Front alignment out of See ALIGNMENT SPECS in
tolerance WHEEL ALIGNMENT section
Suspension components worn See SUSPENSION section
Steering system components See STEERING section
worn
Improper standing height See WHEEL ALIGNMENT
Uneven or sagging springs See SUSPENSION section
Bent wheel See WHEEL ALIGNMENT
Improper torsion bar See SUSPENSION section
adjustment
Loose or worn wheel See WHEEL BEARING ADJ.
bearings in SUSPENSION section
Worn or defective shock Replace shock absorbers
Tires out of balance Check tire balance









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Pulls to One Improper tire inflation Check tire pressure
Side
Brake dragging See BRAKE section

Mismatched tires See WHEEL ALIGNMENT
Broken or sagging spring See SUSPENSION section
Broken torsion bar See SUSPENSION section
Power steering valve not See STEERING section
centered
Front alignment out of See WHEEL ALIGNMENT
tolerance section
Defective wheel bearing See WHEEL BEARINGS in
SUSPENSION section
Uneven sway bar links See SUSPENSION section
Frame bent Check for frame damage
Steering system bushing See STEERING section
worn









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Hard Steering Idler arm bushing too tight See STEERING LINKAGE
in STEERING section
Ball joint tight or seized See SUSPENSION section
Steering linkage too tight See STEERING LINKAGE in
STEERING section
Power steering fluid low Add proper amount of
fluid
Power steering drive belt See STEERING section
loose
Power steering pump See STEERING section
defective
Steering gear out of See STEERING section
adjustment
Incorrect wheel alignment See WHEEL ALIGNMENT
Damaged steering gear See STEERING section
Damaged suspension See SUSPENSION section
Bent steering knuckle or See SUSPENSION section
supports









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Vehicle Strut rod or control arm See SUSPENSION section
"Wanders" bushing worn
Loose or worn wheel See WHEEL BEARINGS in
bearings SUSPENSION section
Improper tire inflation Check tire pressure
Stabilizer bar missing or See SUSPENSION section
defective

Wheel alignment out of See Adjustment in
tolerance WHEEL ALIGNMENT section
Broken spring See SUSPENSION section
Defective shock absorbers Replace shock absorbers
Worn steering & suspension See SUSPENSION section
components









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Front End Shimmy Tire out of balance/round Check tire balance
Excessive wheel runout See WHEEL ALIGNMENT
Insufficient or improper See WHEEL ALIGNMENT
caster section
Worn suspension or steering See SUSPENSION section
components
Defective shock absorbers Replace shock absorber
Wheel bearings worn or See WHEEL BEARING ADJ.
loose in SUSPENSION section
Power steering reaction See STEERING section
Bracket loose
Steering gear box (rack) See STEERING section
mounting loose
Steering gear adjustment See STEERING section
loose
Worn spherical joints See SUSPENSION section









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Toe-In Not Lower control arm bent See SUSPENSION section
Adjustable
Frame bent Check frame for damage









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Camber Not Control arm bent See SUSPENSION section
Adjustable
Frame bent Check frame for damage
Hub & bearing not seated See SUSPENSION section
properly









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WHEEL ALIGNMENT THEORY/OPERATION
1998 Mitsubishi Montero
GENERAL INFORMATION
Wheel Alignment Theory & Operation
ALL MODELS
* PLEASE READ THIS FIRST *
NOTE: This article is intended for general information purposes
only. This information may not apply to all makes and models.
PRE-ALIGNMENT INSTRUCTIONS
GENERAL ALIGNMENT CHECKS
Before adjusting wheel alignment, check the following:
* Each axle uses tires of same construction and tread style,
equal in tread wear and overall diameter. Verify that radial
and axial runout is not excessive. Inflation should be at
manufacturer's specifications.
* Steering linkage and suspension must not have excessive play.
Check for wear in tie rod ends and ball joints. Springs must
not be sagging. Control arm and strut rod bushings must not
have excessive play. See Fig. 1.
Fig. 1: Checking Steering Linkage
* Vehicle must be on level floor with full fuel tank, no
passenger load, spare tire in place and no load in trunk.
Bounce front and rear end of vehicle several times. Confirm

vehicle is at normal riding height.
* Steering wheel must be centered with wheels in straight ahead
position. If required, shorten one tie rod adjusting sleeve
and lengthen opposite sleeve (equal amount of turns). See
Fig. 2.
* Wheel bearings should have the correct preload and lug nuts
must be tightened to manufacturer's specifications. Adjust
camber, caster and toe-in using this sequence. Follow
instructions of the alignment equipment manufacturer.
CAUTION: Do not attempt to correct alignment by straightening parts.
Damaged parts must be replaced.
Fig. 2: Adjusting Tie Rod Sleeves (Top View)
CAMBER
1) Camber is the tilting of the wheel, outward at either top
or bottom, as viewed from front of vehicle. See Fig. 3.
2) When wheels tilts outward at the top (from centerline of
vehicle), camber is positive. When wheels tilt inward at top, camber
is negative. Amount of tilt is measured in degrees from vertical.

Fig. 3: Determining Camber Angle
CASTER
1) Caster is tilting of front steering axis either forward or
backward from vertical, as viewed from side of vehicle. See Fig. 4.
2) When axis is tilted backward from vertical, caster is
positive. This creates a trailing action on front wheels. When axis is
tilted forward, caster is negative, causing a leading action on front
wheels.
Fig. 4: Determining Caster Angle
TOE-IN ADJUSTMENT
Toe-in is the width measured at the rear of the tires

subtracted by the width measured at the front of the tires at about
spindle height. A positive figure would indicate toe-in and a negative
figure would indicate toe-out. If the distance between the front and
rear of the tires is the same, toe measurement would be zero. To
adjust:
1) Measure toe-in with front wheels in straight ahead
position and steering wheel centered. To adjust toe-in, loosen clamps
and turn adjusting sleeve or adjustable end on right and left tie
rods. See Figs. 2 and 5.
2) Turn equally and in opposite directions to maintain
steering wheel in centered position. Face of tie rod end must be
parallel with machined surface of steering rod end to prevent binding.
3) When tightening clamps, make certain that clamp bolts are
positioned so there will be no interference with other parts
throughout the entire travel of linkage.
Fig. 5: Wheel Toe-In (Dimension A Less Dimension B)
TOE-OUT ON TURNS
1) Toe-out on turns (turning radius) is a check for bent or
damaged parts, and not a service adjustment. With caster, camber, and
toe-in properly adjusted, check toe-out with weight of vehicle on
wheels.
2) Use a full floating turntable under each wheel, repeating
test with each wheel positioned for right and left turns. Incorrect
toe-out generally indicates a bent steering arm. Replace arm, if
necessary, and recheck wheel alignment.